The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1887-02-15
nEexiean soldlera. lFake No.Iee.


The following letter from Capt T. D
Johnston, under date of Washington
u. c., Feb. 10th. gives elsewhere
information
Editors Citizen VIII you please statt
inyour paper fortIe benefit of Mexicar
Soldiers and WIDOWS who are entitled [,
pensions under the recent Act of Con.
gress, that the Commissioner of Pensions
is now preparing and VII soon furnish
| me with BLANKS and instructions fol
applying for pensions under the Act. As
soon as / receive them will forward q
number of them to the Clerk of the Su-
perior Court of each county in the Dis.
trict where the applicant can obtain
them. / would suggest to them that
there is no need of employing an Attor.
ney or Claim Agent at this place. The
blanks can be fled and properly verified
before the Clerk of the Court and then
forwarded by mail directed to the 'sCon-
missioner of Pensions, Washington, ID.
c. They will then Eaes;ve as prompt
attention as If filled b56 ciaiTn agent and
the applicant thus saved the necessity OF
paying unnecessary fees.
Please request all newspapers in the
District to make statement as above
Very truly.
THos. D. JOHNSTON.
THE BILL
The following is the full text of the
III itself:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of Am
erica IN C0ngre assembled. That the
Secretary of the Interior be, and he is
hereby, authorized and directed to place
on the pension-roll the names of the
surviving officers and enlisted men, in
Guiding marines, militia, and volunteers,
OF the military and naval services of the
United States, who being duly enlisted,
actually served sixty days with the Army
or Navy of the United States in Mexico,
Or on the coasts or frontier thereof, or en-
route thereto, in the war with that nation,
or were actually engaged in a battle in
said war, and were honorably discharged,
and to such other officers and soldiers and
sailors as may have been personally
named in any resolution of Congress for
any specific service in said war, and the
surviving widow ofsuch officers and en-
listed men: PrOUided, That such widows
have not remarked: ProUided, That
every such officer, enlisted man, or
widow who is or may become sixty-two
cars of age, or whe is or may become
subject to any disability or dependency
equivalent to some cause prescribed or
recognized by the pension laws of the
United States as a sufficient reason for
the allowance OF a pension, shall be en-
titled to the benefits of this act; but it
shall not be held to include any person
not within the rule OF age or disability or
dependence herein defined, Or who in
Cured such disability while in any man
ner voluntarily engaged in or aiding or
abettipg the late rebellion against The
authority of the United States.
SEC: ?. That pensions under section
one of this act shall be at the rate of eight
dollars per month, and payable only from
and after the passage OF this act, for and
during the natural lives of the persons
entitled thereto, or during the continu-
ance of the disability for which the same
shall be granted: Provided, That section
one of this act shall not apply to any
person who is receiving a pension at the
rate of eight dollars per month or more,
nor to any person receiving pension of
less than eight dollars per month, except
for the difference between the pension
now received (if less than eight dollars
per month) and eight dollars per month.
Sac. 3. That before the name of any
personshall be placed on the pension-roll
under this act, proof shall be made, under
such rules and regulations as the Secre
tary of the Interior may prescribe, of the
right of the applicant to pension; and
any person who shall falsely and cor
ruptly take any oath required under this
act shall be deemed guilty of perjury;
and the Secretary of the Interior shall
cause to be stricken from the pension-roll
the name ofany person whenever it shall
be made to appear by proof satisfactory
to him that such name was put upon such
roll through false and fraudulent repres.
entations, and that such person is not
entitled to pension under this act. The
loss of the certificate of discharge shall
not deprive any person of the benefits of
this act, but other record evidence of en-
listment and service and of an honorable
discharge may be deemed sufficient
Provided, That when any person has
been granted a land warrant, under any
act of Congress, for and on account Of
service in the said war with Mexico,
such grant shall be priuad facie evidence
of his service and honorable discharge;
but such evidence shall not be conclusive,
and may be>rebutted by evidence that
such landwarTant was improperly
granted.
SEC. 4. That the pension laws now in
force which are not inconsistent or in
conflict with this act are hereby made a
part OF this act, 80 far as they may be
applicable thereto.
SEC. 5. That forty hundred and
sixteen ofthe Revised Statutes is hereby
so far as the same relates to this |
act or to pensioners under this act.
SEC. 6 That the provisions of this act
shall not apply to any person under the |
political disabilities imposed BY the |
fourtce nti amendment to the constitu-
ton ofthe United States.
Approved, January %. 1887.